Salted with Fire

Today, in Mercy, our readings are full of fire and brimstone. In the epistle, James takes on the tone and rhetoric of the Old Testament prophets, kind of scaring his listeners into better life choices.

In our Gospel, Jesus uses perhaps his harshest words to convince his listeners that choices for sin cripple and kill us – choices that damage the innocent, the poor, the weak, the ailing, the hungry, the marginalized in any way.

These readings tell us that to become holy, we must make holy choices. These are tough, sometimes stunning, choices that demand our attention, sacrifice and love. They are choices that will “cure” and preserve our spirits for eternal life, the way salt preserves food. They are ultimately those dichotomous life choices between self and others; between self and God.

Let us not misunderstand the Scriptures. There is nothing wrong with “self”. It is blessed and good. But self for self’s sake only is a road to isolation and spiritual death. Our selves are made to love God and others.